Rome: Jewish tourist assaulted two days in a row

Jewish tourist attacked twice in central Rome as assailants shout “Free Palestine.”

By World Israel News Staff 

A 22-year-old French Jewish tourist wearing a kippah was attacked on two consecutive nights in central Rome, including once by a group of four people shouting “Free Palestine,” prompting Italian authorities to investigate the assaults as religiously and racially motivated crimes.

The victim, identified by La Repubblica as Isaac Dahan, lives in Paris and works in finance.

He had arrived in Rome on August 5 for a five-day vacation with his mother and brother and continued wearing his kippah openly while touring the Italian capital.

The first attack occurred at around 8 pm on August 7 as Dahan walked with his relatives through Piazza Cairoli, near Rome’s historic Jewish Ghetto.

According to Dahan, a man began following them while repeatedly shouting “Free Palestine.”

Dahan said the man followed the family for roughly five minutes.

When he turned around, the attacker sprayed pepper spray directly into his face.

Dahan washed his eyes at a restaurant in the Jewish quarter but did not immediately report the assault to police.

The following evening, Dahan encountered the same man again while walking with his mother near Largo di Torre Argentina, roughly 300 meters from the scene of the first attack.

This time, according to his complaint, the man was accompanied by three others.

The group followed Dahan while again shouting “Free Palestine,” before one of the men kicked him from behind.

Dahan nearly fell but managed to remain on his feet.

After the second attack, Dahan went to the Carabinieri station at Piazza Farnese and filed a formal complaint.

Investigators subsequently identified a 31-year-old Algerian man with no fixed address and a previous criminal record as a suspect in both attacks.

Dahan reportedly recognized him from a photograph shown by investigators.

Italian media reported that the same man had previously come to the attention of police over the theft of a tourist’s bag in Piazza Navona.

The 31-year-old is suspected, together with other individuals still being identified, of assault as well as propaganda and incitement to commit crimes motivated by racial, ethnic and religious discrimination.

Israeli media outlets reported that the suspect had been taken into police custody.

Investigators are working to identify the other three people allegedly involved in the second attack and are seeking surveillance footage from the area.

The assaults drew condemnation from across Italy’s political establishment and Jewish leadership.

Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, warned that “the hunt for Jews” had reached the streets of the Italian capital and expressed concern that repeated antisemitic incidents could increasingly be met with public indifference.

Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa called the incident a serious antisemitic attack and said Jews should not have to fear displaying symbols of their religion in public.

“The kippah cannot and must not become a reason to be afraid,” La Russa said, adding that antisemitism must never be allowed to become accepted as normal.

Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein similarly called the attack “vile and intolerable,” saying no political cause could justify violence or intolerance and that Jews must be able to openly practice their faith without fear.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he “firmly condemns the antisemitic attack” and pledged solidarity with Dahan and Italy’s Jewish community, saying the country would continue to defend religious freedom and coexistence.

Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, also condemned the assaults, arguing that the incident demonstrated the connection between contemporary anti-Zionist rhetoric and attacks directed at individual Jews.

“When a person of the Jewish faith can no longer walk the streets of a city without being assaulted,” Peled said, the issue extends beyond the security of the Jewish minority to the freedom of society as a whole.

The Rome attacks come amid a documented rise in antisemitism in Italy.

The Foundation for the Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation’s Antisemitism Observatory recorded 963 antisemitic incidents in Italy during 2025, an increase of roughly 10% from 2024 and twice the number recorded in 2023.

The increase was particularly pronounced in the most serious categories. According to the CDEC report, reported physical assaults rose 225% in 2025, while discrimination cases doubled.

The organization also warned that visibly expressing Jewish identity — including speaking Hebrew or wearing a kippah — increasingly carried a risk of harassment or assault.

Police investigations into the Rome attacks remain underway, with authorities seeking the three other suspects allegedly involved in the second assault.